Dr. John Loeser will be remembered for his founding and sustained leadership in the field of

pain medicine. Yet, before the field of pain medicine even existed, he was a highly respected

neurosurgeon, co-author of the definitive text on neuroembryology, a decorated Vietnam

veteran, husband and a father of three. When he became swept up into the pain world, the

idea that pain management should be a medical discipline was new. The founders of the

discipline believed that medicine could do a much better job of reducing people's physical pain

(pain felt in the body) using better diagnostics, newer technologies, better knowledge of pain

mechanisms and processes, focused pain interventions, and newly developed drugs. There

was much excitement in the air because the participants strongly believed that they were on

the road to significantly reducing human suffering. But as with many grand initiatives,

mistakes were made, some of which caused iatrogenic harm. John Loeser's great strength was

that, despite sharing all initial enthusiasms, he always recognized when assumptions had been

wrong, and spoke out early and clearly. Today, four decades after the heady days of the

founding of pain medicine, one can ponder what those four decades have achieved. In fact,

despite setbacks, what has been achieved is much more than was even hoped for: science has

provided important insight into the mysteries of pain. This insight is already helping those who

suffer pain through improved channeling of resources, avoidance of iatrogenic harm, and

realistic expectations. As the story of John Loeser unfolds in this book, so does the story of pain

medicine. That link exists because John's involvement in pain medicine has spanned its history,

and so has become his primary identity.

The manuscript is complete.

Jane Ballantyne, MD was a highly accomplished professor of medicine and anesthesia in the UK before moving to Boston US in 1990. She became Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine in the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in 1999. Dr. Ballantyne moved to the University of Washington in Seattle in 2011 as Professor of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, a position she still holds. She has editorial roles in several leading pain medicine journals and textbooks and is a widely published author. Dr. Ballantyne was an early advocate for restraint in opioid prescribing for chronic pain and has continued to focus her teaching and research on the clinical implications of evolving opioid science. Selected to be a member of many FDA anesthesia drug approval boards over the years, Dr. Ballantyne has been a member of the International Association of the Study of Pain since 1996 and has held multiple positions within the organization.

Chapter 1: They came from all over the world.- Chapter 2: Child.- Chapter 3: Decorated war hero.- Chapter 4: Neurosurgeon.- Chapter 5: It all began in Issaquah.- Chapter 6: The two Johns.- Chapter 7: The man who refused to meet the Pope.- Chapter 8: Becoming a Renaissance man.- Chapter 9: Threats to the mission.- Chapter 10: Wives and children.- Chapter 11: Teacher.- Chapter 12: A portrait of passion and tenacity.